10 Ways to Cope with Overwhelm

While working on my website I would have days where I was in complete overwhelm. There was so much to do; I didn’t know what to do first. Learning new technology is very aggravating for me. I found myself being ticked off easily about unrelated things. My frustration would lead to overwhelm. The more that was on my plate the more overwhelmed I felt.

A lot of times when we feel overwhelm it’s not because there is so much to do, it might be just our perception in the moment. Possibly we have had unrealistic expectations about how long something might take and then when it takes longer it chips away at our peace.

Here are some things I have found to help me with OVERWHELM!

First, just STOP!

Identify your FEELINGS and BREATHE. Tell yourself it is OK. You will be OK. You are going to take care of yourself so things will feel better soon.

Change your environment. Put on your walking shoes and get out of the house. Usually the first half of a 45-minute walk I am still processing and going over things in my head. By the halfway mark, I start to notice the trees, the sun, the birds and other sounds of nature. I turn my awareness to my body and how it feels to move and breathe. It feels good to get my exercise in for the day.

Look around my house for small tasks you can complete. This could include: washing and putting away dirty dishes, picking up things that are just lying around, making the bed, sorting the mail and shredding documents, changing light bulbs. This is really important. Doing these tasks that have a beginning and end give you a sense of accomplishment. At this point usually I am calmer and have some more clarity.

Pull out a piece of paper and start writing down everything that is causing you to feel overwhelmed. Write down what emotions you are feeling. Organize these things in categories; home projects, self-care, work projects, special projects, etc. Go through and prioritize them so that you can SEE what you need to do first. Take one thing at a time. If there are things that are on your list that you have been procrastinating for more than a week or month, ask yourself WHY? give it a date, put it on the calendar and get it done! Procrastination will KILL your momentum.It is harder to get a boulder rolling from stopped, than to keep it rolling. Keeping in the flow of life helps to prevent stagnation, overwhelm and frustration

Be kind to yourself, kindness balances anger and frustration. Use kind works and be gentle with yourself for the rest of the day as you release the intense emotions.

Do a short meditation or some yoga stretching to get centered and bring your awareness to your body.